Alone, Together
by BlackBirdPie
Summary: Small little fictional about Remus and Tonks before the whole spiel in the hospital wing. Kind of fluffy.


**Alone, Together. **

**This is just a Little R & T. However, ******I don't own any of this, it's not for my profit, JK Rowling I bow to you, and all that jazz.****

She takes a breath. Here goes nothing. "Hello Remus." She's stepped out of the shadows, and he looks a little shocked to see her.

Of all the people, of all the places, they were both sent to guard here.

Hogwarts looms in the distance, the lights flickering through the windows. Tonks remembers going there, as does Remus. The better times, the easier times, they both think.

"Tonks." He nods curtly. "Been well?" It's a stupid question and he feels like a git for asking, because he can see the bags under her eyes, her uncharacteristic mousy hair.

She nods, her features more tired, heavier than they should be for someone her age, he thinks, for someone so much younger then him…

It's a half moon tonight, and the thought makes Remus's skin itch. Like it will suddenly fill out and he will become a monster. Or at least an even bigger one then he has already become.

They stand a few wand's lengths apart.

The silence feels heavy.

There's a crack and another person's there. They don't see the figure right away, and assume the worst. Remus doesn't think about it, only acts, he moves to stand in front of her, his wand out, prepared to fight…

"Well how quaint. Very admirable…coming from a _dog _and all." Snape. Lovely. Remus sighs, and lowers his wand, Tonks steps out next to him, her cheeks looking a little rosier than normal.

"Yes?" Remus asks. Reminding himself that Dumbledore trusts this man, that he can't actually ring his neck, no matter how much he wants to, that is has more to do with past prejudices then with an actual need.

"Dumbledore wanted me to deliver you a message."  
>They are all quiet, waiting for the message.<p>

Snape coughs twice, as if this is a horrible burden, coming all the way out there like an owl to pass on messages. Especially to one of them, one of _his _friends. "The essence is nearly complete. That's all." He apparates out of there, as quickly as he came.

"That clears it up." Tonks mumbles.

Except for Remus it does, and he knows he can't stay for much longer.

But the whole episode with Snape reminds him why they are there, and that they are a necessary precaution, and he doesn't want to leave Tonks out there alone.

And he curses Dumbledore, that he's the only one who is able to do this task, that Dumbledore can't find somebody else.

Remus has also heard, from a not-so-subtle Molly Weasley that Tonks' powers haven't been working so well as of late.

"Are you um…" He clears his throat. "Er, are you going to be alright? Here? By…yourself?

Tonks glares at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I heard…that your…powers…" And his voice dies down at the look she's giving him.

"Why do you care anyway?" She's practically snarling, and he's sure if her powers were working than she would be a wolf right now.

He stammers, the answer that she's part of the order is on his tongue, but unable to find its way out. If he's honest that's not the whole truth, it's not even the half of it.

"I know," She says quietly, her voice sounding dark. "I know that you care for me Remus. I know that, as do you. So _why_ in the name of Merlin are you making this so bloody hard?"

"_I am making this hard_? How many times can we have this conversation? I am…"

"Too old, too poor, a werewolf, not safe…" She ticks them off on her fingers. "Right. And I'm an adult, I can make my own choices."

"Obviously not. If you would try and pick somebody like me."

"It wasn't exactly a conscious decision Remus." She takes a few steps closer to him, until they are nearly face to face. "Can you really tell me, that you don't want to be with me? Your age, amount in Gringotts, and morphing status aside?"

Remus touches her face with the very tips of his fingers, making a cradle with his hand. She shuts her eyes at his touch, and for an instant he can see it.

Him and Tonks having a house, having children, going with them to the platform and sending them off to Hogwarts one day. Tonks in a kitchen, trying to cook something but ending in explosions. Of them being happy together.

And then he see's a wolf, running into the picture and ripping all of that apart.

"I…I have to go. Dumbledore needs me." He takes a step back, and Tonks looks at him with sad eyes, and it sort of breaks his heart

"Right. We'll I'll be fine here then. Alone." She crosses her arms and he leaves with a loud _crack_ noise filling the quiet air, and they only way they are together is they are both alone.

"I'm getting quite used to it." She says to the night.


End file.
